As part of a photography class I took in 2022, students received an assignment every week. Initially, the focus was on composition. We had to use only new photos, shoot them in manual mode, and not crop them at all. For some people, these three requirements can be daunting, especially if you are used to the camera’s automatic setting. I am glad I left that setting behind a very long time ago. Of the requirements I mentioned above, not being able to crop is the hardest. On the other hand, I can certainly see the benefit of paying attention to what I am photographing. I have to compose the photo well and avoid distractions along the edges.
During the week, I experimented with various locations to get the theme we had been given: leaves. Since I live in Texas, there are still plenty of leaves year-round. Shooting around town and in our old home’s backyard, I collected several choices to submit for this assignment. Out the 100+ photos I made on that topic, I ended up selecting five photos to consider submitting. From those five photos, it was interesting to note that three of them I made right here in our backyard. The featured photo above is what I submitted for the class assignment. I thought the simple composition was very strong. The single leaf resting among several leaves of the Cast Iron plant (Aspidistra elatior) provided me with excellent color contrast. Furthermore, the leaf had a beautiful shape with light touching just the center of it. I did not have to edit the photo much at all.
The second and third photos were also made in our backyard. The plant is a ground cover known as Mediterranean grass. I had to get my camera really low to the ground to capture the grass from below, making it seem taller. In reality, those leaves are not more than 3 inches (7.6 cm) high from the ground.
Finally, the last two photos were made on hikes at Southeast Metropolitan Park and Copperfield Nature Trail. The first is a Bristle Thistle (Cirsium horridulum). The symmetry in that plant caught my attention. It pretty much lies flat with hardly any height from the ground until a flower rises from the center. The leaves are very prickly. The last photo is your basic oak leaf. However, the fact that it displayed such a wide range of colors in a single tiny branch is what caught my attention. Also, since I was using my macro lens, the background created a beautiful blue bokeh.
This class was invaluable in forcing me to think outside the box for creativity. That proved to be a good exercise.
That is the story behind the shots. If you liked this post, you may also be interested in others featuring Austin, Cast Iron plant, Copperfield Nature Trail, Fall Foliage, Macros, Parks, and Texas. Until the next time, keep clicking and capturing the beauty your eyes find.
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I. J. Khanewala
Beautiful macros
Egidio Leitao
Thank you, I.J.
Hammad Rais
Leaves do tell another story about a plant. Any plant that is. You’ve captured these wonderfully 🙂
Egidio Leitao
Thanks for your wonderful feedback, Hammad.
Klausbernd
Hi Egidio
Nicely photographed and edited
The Fab Four of Cley
🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂
Egidio Leitao
Thanks a million.
margaret21
I hope you got ‘A ⭐’ for your assignment!
Egidio Leitao
Thank you, Margaret. Your feedback is more rewarding than whatever grade it was.
Pepper
You picked five wonderful images. The bristle thistle is so interesting.
Egidio Leitao
Thanks, Pepper.
restlessjo
Love the seeming simplicity of the first three, Egidio xx
Egidio Leitao
I agree. Thanks for writing.
Anne Sandler
Beautiful macros of leaves. I especially like how the Bristle Thistle protects its flower.
Egidio Leitao
Thanks, Anne. Nature has some clever ways of doing things, such as with the Bristle Thistle leaves.
Happy Hanukkah!